According to Firearm Chronicles
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy abruptly reversed course on Monday and announced that gun stores in the Garden State, which have been closed for nearly two weeks, will now be allowed to re-open for business, though with modified hours and by appointment only to ensure social distancing policies.
The move by Murphy came just hours after officials with gun control groups Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action called on governors around the nation to follow Murphy’s lead and order gun stores to close. Murphy’s original stay-at-home order issued on March 21st required gun stores to shut down, and the commandant of the New Jersey State police followed suit soon after and stopped conducting background checks on firearms transfers.
That in turn led to lawsuits by the Second Amendment Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition, the New Jersey Second Amendment Society, and the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, which challenged Murphy’s temporary ban on the legal acquisition of firearms as violations of the Second and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.
Murphy had voiced his defiance to the lawsuits in recent days, even going to so far as to say the closing of gun stores was a good thing. At a press conference last week, the governor was asked about the fact that there was no legal way for New Jersey residents to acquire a firearm at the moment. “A safer society for my taste has fewer guns and not more guns,” Murphy said Wednesday at his daily coronavirus press briefing. “The guns that do exist are at the hands of the right people, particularly trained members of law enforcement. “Crime has been down and let’s hope it stays down, but we’re very comfortable where we landed on that,” he continued, referring to his decision not to classify gun stores as essential businesses.
That was less than a week ago. What changed? Well, the Department of Homeland Security released new guidance on critical members of the workforce over the weekend, and the firearms industry, from manufacturers down to retailers, were included as essential workers. In fact Murphy told reporters on Monday that’s the reason he’s modifying his original order.